Sharp County record., 1887-02-10
HAULING IN THE NET.
A Memorable Day at the Brook
lyn Tabernacle.
Over Three Hundred New Members Re-
ceived by Rev. Dr. T. De witt Ia'-
mage-An Impressive Sermon by
the Eminent Divine.

hllnurCU NEW ulCulDClo hSAS' '~>O@'
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day IN COM
memoration of this event, DR.. Ialma8e
preached the following sermon, choosing
for his text the eighth verse OF the SIX
tieth chapter of Isaiah: "Who are these
that flv as cloud, and as the doves 70
their Windowsm He said:
When God would set fast beautiful
thought, he plants it in tree; when de
would put it afioat, He fashions II INTO a
fish: when He would have it glide through
the air He molds it into bird. There IS
70 manv of us a complete fascination IN
the structure and habits of blrds-the
blackbird, floating like fake OF darkness
through the sunlight the meadow lark
with head of fawn and throat OF velvet,
and breast of gold; the red tiamlngo,
fving over the Southern sWamps, IKE
sparks from the forge of the setting sun;
the pelican, white and black, morning ana
night, tangled in its wingS-they seem not
more of earth than Heaven, ever Vacluat-
ing between the two.
No wonder that Audubon, with his gun,
tramped through all the American forests
in search of new specimens. Biologists
have spent years in finding the track
of birds claws in the new red sandstone
There is enough Of Gods architecture IN a
snipe's bill or grouse's foot to confound all
the universities. Musicians have, with
clefs and bars, tried to catch the sound OF
the nightingale and the robin. Among the
first things that child notices is sWal-
low at the caves, and grandfather goes out
with handful of crumbs to feed the snow
birds. The Bible is full of pathological
illusions.
The birds Of the Bible are not dead and
stuffed, like those of the museum, but Hv-
ing birds, with futtering wings and plum
age. Behold the fowls of the air,
saws Christ. Though thou eXalt thyself
as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest
among the stars, thence will l bring thee
down." exclaims Obadiah. "Gavest thou
the goodly wings to the peacockf" says
Job. David describes his desolation by
saving: 81 am like pelican of the wilder
ness; l am like an owl OF the desert; l
watch, and am as sparrow on the house
top" "Yea, the stork in the heaven
knoweth her appointed time; and the
turtle and the crane and the swallow
observe the time of their coming; but
my people know not the judgment OF the
Lord" says jeremiah. And in the text
Isaiah looks ahead and sees the gathering
of fmany people unto Christ and the Church.
and it makes him think of flock OF pigeons
alghting on their COOP and all at once try
ing to get in at the window Of the coop, and
he cries out: "Who are those that fly as
a cloud and as the doves to their Win
doWslh
This is one Of the memorable days Of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle. On other Sundays
we drop the net; to-day we haul it in On
other days we send out the invitations for
a Kings party; to-day we sit at the
banquet. On other days we fight the bat
tie; now we claim victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Ye who have toiled
and contributed and prayed for the success
of this institution take unto your souls the
men and women, IS s. fanfflHIed the PROMISE Sff
"Those who SOW in tears shall reap in joy"
Wake up, o, Church of God and bring
garlands and music and let US celebrate our
"harvest home"
Oh, this mercy of Godl am told it is an
ocean. Then | place on it four swift-sail-
ing crafts, with compass and charts ana
choice rigging and skillful navigators, and
tell them to launch away and discover for
me the extent of this ocean. That craft
puts out in one direction, and sails to the
north; this to the east; this to the south;
this to the west. They crowd on all their
canvas and sail ten thousand years, and one
day came up the harbor of Heaven, and a
shout to them from the beach: Have you
found the shoreF And they answer: mo
shore to Gods mercyg" Swift angels, dis
patched from the throne, attempt to go
across it; for one million years they fly and
fly, but then come back and fold their
wings at the foot of the the throne and
cry: mo shore no shore to Gods mercyI"
Mercy Mercyl sing it; Ipreach it; I
pray it. Here l find man bound hand
and foot to the devil, but with one stroke
of the hammer of Gods truth the chains
fall off and he is free forever Mercy !
Mercyl Mercy There is no depth it can
not fatholn; there is no height it can not
scale; there is no infnity it can not COM
pass.
When persons apply for membership in
10 any society, the question is asked:
''Who are they, and where do they come
froml" and as this multitude of people pre-
sent themselves to day for membership it
IS right that we should ask: "Who are
these that come as doves to their win
towsm They are captives, whose chains
have been broken; they are soldiers, who
have enlisted for thirty years. war; they
are heirs of Heaven.
They come as doves to the windows,
first, because they fly low. The eagle darts
up, as if to strike it's beak into the sun.
There are birds that seem to dwell under
the caves of heaven; you see them as lit
tie specks against the sky, so far off that
you can notguess the style Of their plumage
or the shape of their bodies; they float so
far away that if the hunters gun be dis
charged at them they do not change their
course. Not 80 with the doves or pigeons,
they never take any high excursions. They
fly around your roof and alight on the
fence, and seem to dislike great attitudes.
So these souls who come to Christ and to
His church to-day fly low. They ask no
great things; they seek an humble place at
the feet of Christ; they are not ashamed
to be called beggars for mercy; they are
willing to get down on their knees, and to
crawl under the table, and to pick up the
crumbs of the Gospel provision. There
were days when they were proud and
punctilious and inexorable and puffed up;
but not now The highest throne on earth
could not tempt Mary away from Jesus
feet Stoop, o pardoned soul, if thou
wouldst enter Heaven. A high look and a
proud heart God hates Fly low. 1t is a